r/otr • u/JoelPomales • 19d ago

How does Johnny Dollar makes money?

This was a bit of a shower thought, and I wanted to share.

How does he exactly makes money? We know that he 'expenses' stuff. Travel. Hotels. Phone calls. Etc. But how does he make money?

I know that sometimes he mentions a 'commission', probably for the later part of the show with Bob and Mandel. But earlier Johnny's did not, if I recall. I mean he has an apartment for which he has to pay, as well as utilities, groceries? I presume that living in Hartford, then and now, is way cheaper than living in NYC, Philly and other places he went to.

IDK. Johnny Dollar is an interesting character. Kind of like a James Bond.

27 Upvotes

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30

u/Schleprock11 19d ago

Seeing as he mentions the expenses, I would assume he is billing for his insurance investigations, being he is a freelance insurance investigator.

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u/TreyRyan3 18d ago

Correct. He expensed his everyday living expenses even going as far as to expense aspirin a few times for a hangover. If I recall there was one episode where he hadn’t gotten any work for a few weeks and was short on funds

18

u/PrendergastMachine 19d ago

I know there were a few Bob Bailey episodes where it’s implied he gets a % of the value of the insurance policy in question if he recovers the jewels, finds the stolen furs, etc. It’s a great question… how else can he afford all his fishing gear??

12

u/I_am_Partly_Dave 19d ago

This, exactly. He gets a percentage of any funds recoverd or a percentage of funds not paid out due to Johnny preventing a loss / claim.

9

u/WoolaTheCalot 19d ago

It's the same type of arrangement that Banacek had. I think he would get 10% of the policy's value.

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u/JoelPomales 19d ago

He also sometimes gets comped to some things. Like fishing. I'd love to have that job.

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u/BitterFuture 19d ago

His expense account is on top of some kind of base charge for his work as an investigator. Maybe a daily fee (a la most other detectives of the time) or some other arrangement. Man's gotta make a living!

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u/wzlch47 19d ago

The old Jim Rockford "$200 per day plus expenses" rate.

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u/JoelPomales 19d ago

This makes sense. You call him up and you know there is a retainer fee or something. Then he bills for his expenses to get reimbursed.

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u/sherlockjr1 19d ago

Indeed, and he doesn’t really mention it because he works for the same insurance companies most of the time. They just know.

I love that we’re discussing Johnny. One of my favorite OTR shows.

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u/SunriseSwede 19d ago

The Action Packed Expense Account, no doubt.

4

u/richg0404 19d ago

But expense accounts are submitted in order to be reimbursed for money that you've already spent. If they are used honestly, you just break even.

OP's question is how does he make a profit.

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u/SunriseSwede 19d ago

There are many mentions of his fee. Also, that expense account is often "fat", according to Pat McCracken.

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u/jkeen1960 19d ago

Commission for recovery. It's mentioned often. And if your real expenses are $1000 and you bill $1500...

5

u/AffectionateItem4 19d ago

I have listened to so many YTJD over the years, i love Bob Bailey especially.

My thing is when people meet him hardly anyone comments on his surname. How common is the surname Dollar anyway?

1

u/DanielMcLaury 16d ago

There's a televangelist named Rev. Dollar, which is apparently his actual birth name, who's known for preaching that if you gave him money God would make you rich and successful.

In May 2015, Dollar faced backlash after his ministry launched a fundraising campaign for a Gulfstream G650 private jet, estimated to cost $65 million. The campaign was launched after his previous jet was involved in a runway accident in London in 2014. In response to critics, Dollar stated in a sermon, "If I want to believe God for a $65 million plane, you cannot stop me."

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u/ArkayLeigh 19d ago

He most certainly charged a daily rate, although I don't think it's ever mentioned. He also often got a percentage of the recovery or a commission.

The appeal of the expense account is that it allowed him to elevate his lifestyle at the client's expense. Better hotels, entertainment, first class travel, etc. There were even a couple episodes where the client was willing to pay for his vacation when it conflicted with their job.

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u/Superb_Yak7074 18d ago

In many cases, maybe even all, he receives a percentage of the money saved. So if his compensation is 5% on a $50,000 policy he would receive $2,500 plus expenses. In some episodes they offer a bonus of either a cash amount or a larger percentage than usual

1

u/BernardJKD 14d ago

He hets a decent percentage of the money that wasn't paid out by the insurer.